Michael Baker Jr. Inc., a Princeton engineering firm, was the Grand Award winner in the 2004 Engineering Excellence Award competition, sponsored by the American Council of Engineering Companies of New Jersey.
The firm was honored for its design of the Rte. 21 viaduct replacement project located in the city of Newark. The Rte. 21 viaduct provides a vital highway link between the city of Newark, the Newark Liberty International Airport and other parts of northeastern New Jersey via I-78, Rtes. 1 and 9 and U.S. 22.
The objective of the project was to replace the old viaduct, which was structurally deficient and functionally obsolete. The new structure is comprised of several innovative design features, including special foundation treatments, stabilized earth retaining walls and skew-angle steel plate girders. Due to its size, the project was divided into multiple design and construction contracts. Moreover, the design schedule was accelerated by combining the last two contracts into a single contract without altering the original design submission date.
